


Everlock Horror Story, Hotel

by ETNMystic



Series: Our Eternity Together [6]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2020-01-23 03:19:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18541228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic
Summary: Hoping to have found somewhere to catch a break, Mystic also tries to find answers, but all is not right in this luxurious hotel...





	1. Paved With Gold

As soon as we stepped inside, we found a luxurious hotel. Nearly everything was embroidered, framed, or embellished with some sort of gold trimming. It looked like something you might find at the Metropolitan, I suppose. At the front desk was a woman smiling.

"Morrnen," she greeted us in a jovial Scottish dialect.  
"Thank ye forr choosen' ourr hotel. We alrready got ye rrooms rready, customized te ye liken'."

She threw the keys in our direction, all sixty-five it seemed. As soon as I found mine, I rushed into the elevator, punched the button for the top floor, and rammed my finger on the CLOSE DOORS button multiple times. It skyrocketed up what seemed like 100 stories up to near the luxury suite. 

I turned the key and dashed inside, slamming and locking the door behind me as well as turning the deadbolt. My heart was thumping so intensely and so rapidly that one might think it was going to explode. But I had to be alone; I needed answers to the many questions I had;

  1. Why is everyone so obsessed with keeping me innocent and pure?
  2. Who is or was Lydia Waverly?
  3. Why won't people leave me alone for even 2 seconds?
  4. How do we switch Alice back into her regular body AND get Ciel back into theirs?
  5. What exactly are these powers that that lasers was supposed to give me?
  6. Why is the Cursed God so obsessed with me?



All of a sudden, I heard a knocking on the door.

"Mystic?" Penelope called out in a sing-song voice.  
"Sweetheart, please let us in."

"Mystic!" Candy Pop added.

Seriously? 

I pulled out a stone.

"I wish the door was sound-proofed."

As soon as that was taken care of, I looked around for something-anything-that could trigger a secret of some sort. I pulled out a book from the bookshelf and another slid open. Inside was a large library.

From out of nowhere, my room began to shake. Sighing I pulled out another stone.

"I wish the door was made of reinforced steel."

After that, I shut myself inside of the library, searching book after book after book, on Everlock history, mythology, news articles, archives, lore, anything I could, in hopes of finding answers. But I mostly came up empty. I didn't care though, something was bound to show up sooner or later. I searched through even more, before I finally found something. A diary entry.

12th October 1976

My quest to find an apprentice to pass my techniques onto continues with a possible success. Looking through the Society's files, they dictate those who will be born on certain days, gifting them with certain abilities. I've searched through lunar and solar charts, chronological cartography records, psychological alignments, season and weekday tables. The most potent Seers and Mystics are those with high levels of empathy and  creativity. 

And now I have finally found potential. A summer child, roughly 21 years ahead. Penelope cannot know about this, especially not when SHE is in control. 

There was no name inside. I sighed in fatigue and defeat. 

"It's not much, but it's.......something...."

* * *

I don't remember much of what happened after. All I know is that I suddenly felt cool washcloths against my face. I opened my eyes to see Safiya, Ro, Matt, Penelope, Calliope, and Candy Pop. 

"How......did you get in here?" I groaned.

"The front desk lady let us in," Candy Pop shrugged.

"We found you out cold," Safiya informed me.  
"You're lucky you didn't get a concussion."

I just pulled back the covers of the bed. I was NOT in the mood.

"Go away," I snipped.

"We just want you to be safe," Penelope began.

Groaning, I went further under the covers. Candy Pop took out a knife and I jumped as something stabbed into the blanket.

"Don't even try!" Safiya warned him as she pulled out the knife. 

"C'mon, it's the only way she's gonna do what we want."

"You're forgetting me," Penelope sniffed.

"Just get out," I repeated.  
"Now."

There was silence for a few moments, then I heard footsteps receding. I waited a few more moments before peeking out of the covers. Calliope was the only one there.

"They're in the main room," she told me.

"What was the 12th of October 1976 all about?"

She huffed despondently.

"You found that entry? I meant to have the entire diary destroyed."

"Who are you really? Who the hell is 'she' in relation to Penelope?"

"I.....I can't explain right now, child."

"Then don't bother talking to me until you can," I grumbled as I pulled the covers over my head. 

* * *

After she left, I made sure all of the doors were locked and secured. I spent most of the week in bed, only getting up to go to the bathroom. Other than that, all I wanted to do was sleep, and wait for death to take me. 

I wasn't sure if the others knew. That was part of why I created this hotel. I could lock myself in my room and let myself just......die. Then it would all end. It was a slow suicide, but I didn't care. I was tired, I was simply tired of living. I had been running from too much, and I just wanted peace. But as long as the Cursed God was out there searching for me, I could never truly find peace. Death for me seemed to be the only solution.

By Sunday evening, I had begun to drift in and out of consciousness. Both the starvation and the dehydration were fighting to take my life equally. Several times I thought I heard screams coming from outside, but I soon began to rationalize them to myself as mere delusions and hallucinations. 

That is until I heard the door burst open. However that was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

* * *

I awoke to the feeling of cold wet cloths all over my face, And the sound of concerns mumbling coming from Beyond.

Is this what heaven is?

"Mystic, What in the name of sanity were you thinking?" 

Oh Wait. Never mind, this was hell. And that was Penelope's voice. As I came to, I saw her face, displaying a disappointed and infuriated expression.

"You nearly got yourself killed!" 

"That was the idea," I huffed at her.  
"I  **wanted**  to kill myself of course."

"You know, that's a stupid fucking idea."

This voice was a new one but not at all unfamiliar. Candy Pop, of course. I didn't want him anywhere near me at this point.

"Do you think I give two shits about that?" I snapped back.  
"I just wanted to be somewhere with peace for one damn minute."

"Well, if you succeed in what you were trying to do, you would've been gone for more than a minute," Penelope pointed out.

Yeah, no shit!

"Well, I guess you can't win them all."

Penelope huffed.

"Mystic, you're being extremely irresponsible and dangerous," she scolded.  
"Not just to yourself, but to others as well. If you die, the Cursed God will unleash his fury and hell hath no fury like he would."

"Well, the only other alternative is to marry him," I told them. 

"And I sure as hell don't want that."

"No, there IS another alternative," Safiya pointed out as she replaced the cloths on my face.  
"And it's to find the tokens."

"So you want six more people to die?" I hissed.

"No, but I certainly don't want YOU dead either. Why would you even consider killing yourself?"

"I just want this to end," I whimpered.  
"Can't any of you comprehend that?"

"We understand, Mystic," Penelope assured me soothingly, setting me on edge.  
"We want this to end just as much as you do, but your death is not going to be the answer to that. Now just let me be alone with you for a few moments, and I think you'll find that I can perhaps persuade you to see things our way---

"Not a chance in hell," I blurted out as Candy Pop was grabbing some food.  
"I am not letting you hypnotize me!"

"Well, unless you make some sort of vow that you'll never try to kill yourself again, I may have no other choice."

I rolled my eyes and tried to pull the covers over my face, but a gentle hand stopped me.

"Please, Mystic, just promise us you won't try to kill yourself again," Rosanna pleaded with her doe-like eyes.  
"You scared me half to death when we found you."

"I don't know if I can make that promise," I sighed.  
"But even so, hypnosis isn't the answer." 

"Then we'll simply have to stay with you," Penelope concluded.

"What? No!" I exclaimed horrified.

"I think it's for the best right now," Rosanna assured me, gently petting my head. 

"I NEED my alone time, though."

"Didn't you get enough of that when you tried to run away from us?" Candy Pop scoffed.

Annoyed, I tossed a pillow hard in his direction. I heard a grunt and could tell I'd gotten him. 

"I swear to God, if you weren't in Alice's body, I would've probably strangled you by now."

"I'd like to see you try," he scoffed.

"I like the idea of staying here," Safiya agreed.  
"Just to monitor her, see how things turn out."

"I concur," Matpat said as he brought a cup of water.

"Then it's settled," Penelope declared.  
"We'll stay with you to assure your safety."

"Don't I get a say in this?" I groaned. 

"Not for the time being."

I pulled the covers over my head, and groaned loudly. It was gonna be a long while.


	2. Something's really fucking wrong.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like, SUPER FUCKING WRONG.

Just as I feared, Matt, Ro, Safiya, Penelope, and Candy Pop took up residency in my hotel room, making sure I wasn't trying to commit suicide on any speed level. I rebelled in any way that I could; I'd refuse food, sleep all the time, refuse medicine. 

"We're just trying to help you," Penelope sighed for the 100th time.

"Well, you're not helping by acting like helicopter parents!"

"Who was the one who tried to sneak out of the room last night?"

"It would've worked, if you hadn't stationed that demon by the doorway."

I, of course, was referring to Candy Pop, who I wasn't gonna change back any time soon. In fact, when I ran into him and he refused to let me escape, I made a wish on a teastone.

"I wish that I was the only one who would be able to get Candy Pop out of Alice's body."

The golden glow and dust sealed it. Both satisfied and upset, I went back to my room. Hey, if I was gonna go through hell, I sure as it wasn't gonna go alone.

"Just eat something, please," Ro pleaded. 

"I'm not hungry," I lied, trying to stand up only to find myself getting lightheaded and Saf and Matt running over and grabbing me before I hit the floor.

"You haven't eaten in a week," Matt pointed out as they carried me back to my bed.  
"You need something."

"I'm starting to wonder if there's some merit to having Penelope hypnotize you," Safiya considered.  
"We really don't want you to die."

"And I wanna get back in my old body," Candy Pop added.

I glared fire into his eyes.

"I'm not gonna help you, you selfish bastard!" I spat angrily as they set me in bed.

"Oh. I'M selfish?" he scoffed.  
"Who's the one trying to commit suicide?"

If I was strong enough, I would've bitch-slapped him upside the head, but I was too weak.

"Call suicide selfish one more time," I growled.  
"And I'll get you out of that body and place it inside of a statue of Christ!"

"Well," he spat, though I could tell he was afraid.  
"Looks like I may have touched a nerve."

"You're damn right you did! Why the hell are you even here? Get out."

"I was just trying to---"

This time he did sound slightly sincere, but I was past my boiling point now.

"Out!" I nearly screamed, but it took a lot of my energy, causing me to nearly pass out.

I heard sniffling and a pair of footsteps receding. Woozy, I felt a gentle hand prop up my head. My vision was blurry, but I saw Ro place a bottle of water in front of me.

"It's from the hotel," she assured me, still remembering the parasite incident.

This was when I caved. I opened my mouth and nearly washed the whole thing down.

"More," I panted.  
"I need....more."

Ro rushed over to the fridge and grabbed some water as Candy Pop walked back in.

"I thought I told you---!"

"I just came to give this to you," he sighed. 

He held out a fair-sized gift wrapped in blue paper and tied with red ribbon. I softened up a bit.

"Oh," I exclaimed shocked.  
"Um, thanks, I guess."

"There's more from the others," he admitted.  
"But......this one's from me."

He didn't say another word, just simply left, though I noticed that he had some strange burn marks on his hands, even with my blurriness. My vision was returning slightly as I regained my strength. 

"What did he mean?" I wondered weakly.

"The others got together and got a few things, made a few cards, to make you feel better," Ro informed me.  
"I even made some cupcakes, gluten and dairy free."

All of a sudden, a loud, thundering moan came from my stomach. 

"I.....need food," I admitted.

"How about I make you some tea?" Penelope offered.

"No, I don't trust you that much," I replied, not knowing what kind of psychoactive witchcraft she'd use on it.

* * *

I started to work my strength back up, beginning with eating plainer foods like rice and then moving up to finer foods, eventually being able to eat those cupcakes Ro made, which were amazing! Meanwhile, Ro, Matt, Safiya, and Penelope decided to stay with me, but Candy Pop stopped coming around. I began to miss him, believe it or not.

One night when my strength was back up, I crept silently over to the table where the package had been left and snatched it up before running back to my bed. I carefully untied the bow and peeled off the wrapping paper. Inside was a white box. I opened the box and found a variety of things. 

He'd gotten me seven bags of candy, for one. Something else within the ensemble was a small music box, another was a pocket watch, but there were two things that stood out.

One was a red bracelet. Taking a closer look, I realized it had a cross on it. But the biggest part was that there was a copy of the Bible neatly wrapped in tissue paper. I remembered back to those burn marks. 

_He..........hurt himself to give me a present?_

Tears came to my eyes. I pulled out a teastone and whispered. 

"I wish that Candy Pop was in the living room of my suite."

I heard an exclamation and I rushed inside. Sure enough, there he was. And he hadn't been lying about the presents either. There was a small stack or two of them and an even bigger stack of cards.

"What the hell?" he grumbled.

"Hey," I coughed.

Whirling around he sighed in disgust when he saw me.

"What? You wanna yell at me some more?"

I shook my head.

"How are your hands?"

This caught him off-guard.

"My what?"

"Your hands."

After a few moments of contemplation, he sheepishly held them out. They still looked sore, no better than when I last saw them.

"You.....gave me a Bible," I sighed.

He nodded. 

"Yup."

I felt so guilty. I thought that he couldn't be redeemed, but clearly I was wrong.

"I'm so sorry. You didn't need to go through all that," I assured him.

"I did," he sighed.  
"I do really want out of this body, but.....I was being a huge jerk back there. I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology."

"So, are we cool?"

I nodded.

"Sure."

We just stared at each other for a few more moments.

"So, uh, you wanna maybe stay here tonight?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Sorry, but my room's pretty bitchin'. They definitely customized it to me."

"Oh," I exclaimed in disappointment.

But that's when I remembered.

"Before you go, I wanna see if you can help me identify this," I told him as I took him over to the book and showed him the diary entry.  
"Any ideas of why Calliope wanted me as her apprentice?"

He shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine, kid. In the meantime, I'll see if I can find something about this mystery, or mysteries, but otherwise, I gotta hit it. Night."

And he went out the front, leaving it open. Groaning, I went over to close it when I saw two figures up ahead, talking. I could barely make out their conversation, but it sounded like the receptionist lady and a guest. What was the receptionist doing talking to a guest? Especially so late at night. I didn't want to go forward much anymore, in fear of them hearing my footsteps. Thankfully they started getting louder, and once they did, I could hear them better.

"-Can't force us to stay here!" the guest shouted infuriated, and a little afraid.  
"I work for the Everlock Gazette! I'm gonna expose your Stepfordian resort for the Hellhole it----"

All of a sudden, he stopped as the front desk lady seemed to stab something into his neck. His head dropped.

"Nu what was et ye werre sayen, Mrr. Donal?" she asked too sweetly.

"I'll tell everyone about how amazing this hotel is," he droned euphorically with a few giggles in between.  
"I never want to leave."

"Don't worrrry. Ye niverr weell," she assured him maliciously, patting him on the head.  
"I'll mak surre yerr all nice an obedeent forr the Currsed God when he an hes queen Mestec arre togetherr at last. Though I feel a desterrben forrce keepen em frrey findin us. I thenk that bonny Mestec lass es herre. En fact, I bet she put the spell on thes hotel an I bet she was the one whoo de'nt want te be veseted that firrst mornen. Ef I can find herr an brren herr te the Currsed God, I'm surre he'll rrewarrd me quite weel."

"Perhaps I can help you, mistress," the guests chuckled euphorically.

"I cerrtainly hope ye'd say that. Soon we weel rroond up the otherrs an searrch forr herr. I tell ye; it'll be a grreat day when the Currsed God can brren that barrrrierr doon."

"Yes it will be, mistress."

Fuck. This seemed like trouble. I didn't bother to listen much longer. Trying to keep from her hearing me, I slowly and quietly shut the door before dead-bolting it and quietly screaming. Using another teastone, I resummoned Candy Pop.

"What the hell?" he grumbled.

"We've got major trouble," I panted fearfully.  
"We have to warn the others and we have to leave this hotel. The receptionist isn't letting people leave. It's a training ground for servants and slaves to the Cursed God, and that bitch is trying to sniff me out."

Without another word, I rushed in and flipped the lights on and off, causing them to wake up, groaning.

"What's going on?" Ro groaned cutely.  
"What's happening?"

"The hotel receptionist lady is working for the Cursed God," I panted.  
"We gotta get out of here."

"Get oot of herre?" a sickingly-sweet voice asked behind me.

The four of them stood behind me and at my sides. Sure enough, in entered crazy Scottish chick.

"Why woold ye eeverr want te leave, especially when we weell be haven a special guest comen herre soon?"


	3. Siege of the Resort

I was terrified as that crazy Scottish bitch stepped inside. Didn't I put a spell to keep the Cursed God and his lackeys from finding us? And how the hell did she know about it?

"Weell, weell, weell," she chuckled.  
"I fegurred ye'd come rroond herre. Yerr just as bonny of a lass as the Currsed God has said ye arre. Se ennocent an purre. No wonderr he wants ye so badly."

"So what? You're gonna just take me to him?" I scoffed.

"Oh nay," she shook her head, chuckling.  
"That'd be too easy. I'm just goen to undo tha' li'l spell ye put on my hotel."

She pulled out a large stone and whispered into it. All of a sudden, I felt a golden glow melt from us and I began to panic. She then took out another stone and rubbed her thumb around it three times.

"Masterr, et's me," she announced.  
"I've got ye bonny brride stayen at my hotel........Aye, she's en my sight........She put a spell on et orriginally........I rremoved et forr ye.......Ye'll be herre whee'?.........I underrstand.........Aye, I'll keep herr untel yerr herre."

She put the stone back in her pocket.

"Excuse us, bitch!" Nikita's voice declared.  
"But Mystic's not going anywhere with that creep, and neither are we!"

"Weell then, I'm afrraid ye have no choice en the matterr," she sniffed as Nikita and a few others walked in.  
"Cause what my masterr wants, he always gets!"

"Not this time, hon," Manny scoffed. 

"I thenk ourr special guest might desagrree with ye."

“You mean…Envy?” Candy Pop gasped hopefully.

For a moment, the lady looked confused.

“Who es tha'? I neeverr hearrd of an ‘Envy’!”

“He got paired with Calvin recently…?”

Her confused look shifted to one of sudden comprehension, and malice.

“Ah. Tha' young mon!”

“W-what do you know about him!?” I shivered. 

“I know he's gone an' swetched sides. Calven always gets what he wants one way or anotherr, jus' like my masterr.”

"That's a lie!" Candy Pop snapped.  
"He'd never do that!"

"Ye so surre aboo' that? I also know hes kind's go' a few genes tha' coold be useful te us. I hearrd one of them maks hem a bloodtherrsty keller for who he's worrken for."

I gulped, but before I could respond, Candy Pop ran around us. Luckily she didn't seem to notice.

"Se, enstead of acten se stubborrn, hu aboo' ye surrrrenderr nice an peacefully, aye?" 

He grabbed a nearby vase and....

_CRASH!_

brought it down on her head. She shuddered once, and fell still, hitting the floor with a hard thud.

"Is she....?" I began hesitantly.

"Don't know, don't care, just run!" Candy Pop exclaimed. 

I grabbed Ro's hand and we ran out to the elevator. Matt, Safiya, and Penelope followed suit, as does Candy Pop. I practically punched the down arrow. Finally it opened and we dashed inside. I pressed the button for the lobby and then the door close buttons, my heart palpitating. 

"Wait," Ro gasped.  
"What about the others?"

"We need," I panted.  
"To secure a spell on this hotel."

"But still, it wouldn't hurt to warn them."

Sighing, I pull out a teastone.

"I wish all of the other guests, writers, and agents were in the lobby."

The stone glowed golden; just to be safe I pulled out another, but the doors to the lobby opened and I nearly dropped the stone in fear as I heard a demented cackle. 

"Shit," I groaned.

The clowns had already gotten to them. Nora, Stella, Dooper, Nikita, Manny, and Calliope were held captive by one of each. Frantically I tried to press the door close button, but the Killer Clown Leader handed Nora off to Sally and dashed for the elevator as the doors were closing. I tried to stay as far back against the wall as I could, but it was fruitless. 

I felt her gloved hand snatch my wrist and pull me out. The others followed suit.

"Well, well, well," the clown leader cackled as I struggled against her.  
"What do we have here? A queen and two potential brides!"

"Potential brides?" Briar wondered.

She turned to Briar.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Morticia and Bibbidi-Bobbidi are gonna fight it out for the Carnival Master's affections."

"Bibbidi-Bobbidi?" I spat.

"That bitch over there," she groaned pointing to Nora.

"So you're giving us nicknames now?" Dooper gasped.  
"What's mine? What's mine?"

"Can it, Stuntpig!"

He shut his mouth as the Killer Clown Leader pulled out a small star-patterned bag and opened it.

"Oh, oh, can I do it?" Lucy squealed as she approached us.  
"I wanna do it! I wanna do it!"

Rolling her eyes, the leader handed the psycho girl the bag as she chortled excitedly.

"This is basically the Collar of Control, but in pixie dust form," she informed me.

Immediately, Penelope, Safiya, Candy Pop, Matt, and Ro grabbed me from behind and tried to pull me away, but I felt a small drop on my head. I bent over, shook it out of my hair, and she took the opportunity to dump the whole bag on my head, cackling wildly.

"What the hell'd you just do, bitch?" Nikita screamed.

"She's gonna be more obedient than you were!" Lucy rasped in reply. 

I felt myself growing sleepy, hazy. I tried to fight it, but the feeling persisted. I shook the rest of it off and into her face; she yelled in annoyance and began to sputter. 

"Let's get her out of here!" Penelope exclaimed.

"Going somewhere?" a deep voice purred maliciously.

"Hell......probably....." I murmured as I fell further into a trance. 

"I don't think so," the Cursed God cackled.

 


	4. When Desires Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur approaches Candy Pop with a deal, and now he must make one of the most difficult decisions he's ever had to make in his life.

Mystic collapsed into the group's arms with the Killer Clown Leader still maintaining a hold on her wrist. She looked really cute though. She had a dreamy and peaceful smile on her face. Lucy, meanwhile, had also dropped unconscious, but she looked kind of adorable while she was sleeping. 

"Well, at least that's over with," Safiya sighed in relief.

The clowns cackled as Sally handed another star-patterned bag to the leader.

"You really think it was gonna be that easy?" she giggled as she pulled out another. Skipping over, she grabbed ahold of Ro's wrist and flung the contents of the bag in her face. Ro began to cough and Matt tried to shield Safiya and the others from the dust, but just then, Ro dropped limp, also stuck in a deep trance and also smiling adorably.

"In fact," Luke chortled maliciously as he pulled out a third, heading towards Candy Pop.  
"We got a whole bunch of these thanks to those blueprints our master's little bird told us about."

Immediately everyone turned to face Bird, who Luke had handed off to Mickey.

"I swear," she stammered.  
"I'm NOT who he's talking about."

"Are you so sure about that?" Angel sniffed.

"Nah, she's right," the Clown Leader affirmed.  
"Larky's not with us."

"But wait," Sally wondered.  
"Shouldn't she--?"

She was cut off by a struggler who Wilmer was carrying in with his demon arm; it was Alice/Jas.

"No!" Candy Pop exclaimed.

"Where did you even get these blueprints anyway?" Selene wondered.  
"And furthermore, blueprints for what?"

"Blueprints for a doomsday device that'll put Mesmera over there to shame," the Leader giggled, pointing at Penelope.

"I'd like to thank you for them, Calliope," the Cursed God smirked.  
"Without them, we would never have my bride in the vulnerable state she's in."

Calliope's face blanched as the others looked at her.

"YOU'RE the traitor?" Tristen yelled.

"No," Jael gasped.  
"I know she's not."

"A likely story," Angel sniffed.

"I swear," Calliope replied calmly.  
"I would never work for him."

"Oh really?" the Cursed God smirked.  
"So then I suppose I just happened to stumble upon Mystic's future record back in 1976? I see now; you 'accidentally' let Lilith see them."

"You leave her out of this, you dolose mongrel!" Penelope snared angrily, but still articulately.

"Why would I? She is a janizary of mine, after all. My most dutiful and loyal one at that. And now if you'll excuse me, my bride and I have a wedding to prepare for."

"Not a chance in Hell are you taking her away!"

Like a protective lioness, Penelope snatched Mystic away from the clown's wrist.

"Safiya, Matt, grab Ro!"

"But what about Envy?" Candy Pop asked impatiently.

That was when Arthur approached him.

"I'd actually like to offer a proposition regarding him," he whispered.

"Not interested," Candy Pop scoffed as Mystic and Ro were being carried back into the elevator and up to the top floor.

He shrugged.

"I suppose you don't want to see him that badly then."

This caught Candy Pop off-guard.

"I'm listening," he urged.

"It's quite simple; bring Mystic to us in her vulnerable state and we'll give you Envy, safe and sound."

This made him feel conflicted. On one hand, he didn't want Mystic to become the Cursed God's queen, but on the other hand, he needed to see Envy. 

"I'll let you muddle over it for some time," Arthur offered him.  
"When you're ready to hand her over, just give out a call."

And he left.


	5. The Boiling Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group learns just how powerful that pixie dust is, and Candy Pop loses it.

They returned to the suite, where Penelope dealt with the front desk lady (And by dealt with, she basically locked her inside of a guest room and barricaded the door from the outside, before setting Mystic on her bed and Ro beside her.

"How long do you think this will last?" Matt wondered worriedly as Candy Pop finally walked in.  
"Oh hey, there you are. Where were you?"

This tied his stomach in knots. How was he supposed to tell them about Arthur's deal?

"I was.......talking with someone."

Technically it wasn't a lie. 

"Okay," Penelope replied suspiciously before returning to study the two of them. 

Using her glove, she took a small sample of the powder from their heads, and inspected it.

"This is modified pixie dust," she concluded.  
"That is, if you're going to call it by its street name. This one is specified to both obedience and to be a truth serum."

"Truth serum?" Nikita gasped as she rushed in along with most of the others.

"How did you get away from them?" Safiya gasped.

"Plot convenience," Bird shrugged.

"Okay, seriously, you gotta give me some of the drugs you're taking," Dooper told her.

"Well," Candy Pop smirked.  
"I've got a few questions to ask Lil Miss Mystic."

Perhaps she'd finally tell him the answer to why she was running away. But would it really be that easy?

"How.....powerful of a truth serum is it?" he wondered to Penelope.

"Extremely," she concluded.  
"Even the smallest morsel of this can make you tell the entire truth."

That settled it.

"Um, I've got a few questions to ask her as well," Nikita scoffed.

"So do I," Safiya added.  
"But I think we can all get the answers we're looking for."

Safiya decided to go first.

"Mystic, tell us the truth. Why do you make self-deprecating comments and jokes about yourself so much?"

Almost immediately she responded in a sort of dreamy, breathy, and far-off tone. Even Candy Pop thought it was kinda cute.

"Because the social skills classes, bullying, isolation, and abuse in my childhood made me feel like being autistic is wrong, and I'm scared to get hurt again if I was so open about my strengths."

"My turn," Nikita piped up.  
"Why the hell did you try to kill yourself twice?"

"Because I thought that if I was dead, the Cursed God would have no reason to go after you all."

"I mean, I guess by some vein of logic," Bird piped up.  
"That makes sense."

"Yes, but she's wrong," Penelope corrected.

"Okay, enough beating around the bush. It's my turn for an answer now," Candy Pop groaned as he stepped towards Mystic.  
"I want to know the full and complete truth of this; what are you doing trying to get away from everybody who wants to help you!?"

Mystic remained silent for several moments as everyone looked at Candy Pop.

"What? Was it a dumb question?"

"No," Safiya shook her head.  
"It's just I've been wondering the same thing; I didn't think anyone would ask her."

"Come to think of it, I wanna know too," Andrea R inquired. 

A ripple of agreement echoed through the bedroom. But suddenly Mystic's mouth began to move. Everyone suddenly became so quiet and still that you could hear a piece of lint drop.

"The........the truth......the truth....is.......is." she began.

"Yes? Yes?" Candy Pop gasped hopefully.

Then she stopped.

"No," Candy Pop laughed nervously.  
"This isn't supposed to happen. I'm supposed to get a fucking answer!"

"She must be extremely reluctant to give that away," Penelope sighed.  
"Even a truth serum as powerful as this is a match against a stubborn mind. Try asking her again."

He took a deep breath, and repeated,

"What are you doing trying to get away from everybody who wants to help you!?"

Once again her mouth twitched and opened.

"The truth is........that.........that........."

Candy Pop's heart beat hopefully and ecstatically. He was all ears.

"The truth is that..........it's none of your damn business," she replied in an angry, but still cute and dreamy tone. 

Immediately his heart dropped and his eye began to twitch.

"Mystic," he laughed infuriated.  
"If you don't give me the truth, I'm gonna fucking strangle you."

"That IS the truth," she replied.

He felt defeated and angered and his mind wandered towards Arthur's offer. Maybe the Cursed God could get her to answer that. Wait! No! He wasn't supposed to be thinking like this. But he wanted to see Envy again so damn badly!! It was eating away at him.

"Mystic," Bird piped up softly.  
"I know this might be a stretch, but do you know who Lydia Waverly is or was?"

"Somewhat," she replied.

"Is she a part of solving this mystery?" Arya gasped.

"She is."

"Then who is she?" Haven growled impatiently.

"She.........she was a princess," Mystic began.  
"Back in the Medieval Renaissance, or MidRen for short."

"What does she have to do with this?" Celeste wondered.

"She.........got into a muddle with some witches......and the Cursed God.......that's all I know."

All of a sudden, Mystic shut her eyes as her head thumped against the pillow. Screams and gasps echoed throughout as Penelope checked for a vital sign.

"She's still breathing," she assured everyone, prompting a sigh of relief.

"So we've basically learned nothing new," Briar scoffed, folding their arms.  
"That's just great."

"No, we found out a few things," Erica assured them.  
"We have a little more info on this Lydia chick. Time period is a huge indicator. If we can find accounts involving those eras of time, we can figure out more about how she relates to our mess."

The others began to discuss theories and ideas. No one noticed Candy Pop in a fetal position in a corner, tilting his head from side to side like a clock. 

"I......I have to get that answer," he trembled.  
"I have to see Envy."

His sense of morality began to all blend together. He'd been holding in a lot of frustration, but Mystic not giving him the answer he needed, even while under the influence of an extremely powerful truth serum, was the boiling point. He'd finally snapped.

"I'll call out for Arthur tomorrow night," he giggled under his breath.  
"Then everything will be okay."

But in his fit of madness, he failed to notice that someone actually DID notice him. And she was NOT about to let this happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Candy Pop: LET'S MCFREAKIN' LOSE IT! GET OUTTA YO MIND! GET OUTTA---!


	6. Snap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Candy Pop prepares to hand Mystic over to the Cursed God, but someone's been suspecting he'd break sooner or later.
> 
> (CW: Death, suicide mention)

It was the dead of the night the next night. Candy Pop awoke in his room and walked out of it, up the stairs and into the suite. Almost like clockwork. But it didn't matter how he got there. He had only two goals. To get that damning answer, and to get Envy back. 

He giggled under his breath as he muttered a nursery rhyme over and over under his breath. 

_Hickory Dickory Dock._   
_The mouse ran up the clock._   
_The clock struck one._   
_The mouse ran down.  
_ _Hickory Dickory Dock._

It'd been playing in his head in a clocklike fashion ever since he'd made the decision to give her to the Cursed God. As he entered the room, he was careful not to awaken the others as he crept towards the bed. There were Mystic and Ro, still sleeping like angels.

_Hickory Dickory Dock._   
_The mouse ran up the clock._   
_The clock struck one._   
_The mouse ran down.  
_ _Hickory Dickory Dock._

He reached over and tested Mystic's scalp. To his relief, the powder was still in her hair. He then tapped on her shoulder.

"Mystic, wake up," he giggled madly.

Like an automaton, her eyes shot wide open, her glasses still on her face. While her eyes were open and pointed at the ceiling, her senses were shut. 

"Mystic, get out of bed and follow me."

"I will," she droned dreamily as she stepped out in her white nightgown (Candy Pop had insisted they put her in a white nightgown).

Laughing maniacally, but quietly, he led her out of the suite and towards the elevator, thinking it was just the two of them, but unbeknownst to him, someone had been keeping tabs on him, and she was already one step ahead.

He pressed the button to open the elevator.

_Hickory Dickory Dock._   
_The mouse ran up the clock._   
_The clock struck one._   
_The mouse ran down.  
_ _Hickory Dickory-----_

"What do you think you're doing?" a woman glared with her arms folded as the doors opened to reveal her. 

Candy Pop gasped as Penelope snatched Mystic and pulled her into the elevator without another word, pressing the doors close button.

"But....but....but......but...but..but..but....."

He stammered, but couldn't get an answer out of himself. The elevator shut and the two of them went down to the fiftieth floor, as Penelope knew there was a way to get the dust and, subsequently, effects out of Mystic.

Candy Pop simply stood there, numb, for a good five minutes. His eyes became dark and soulless and he walked down to his room. It wasn't for anything in particular. He just had to grab a little something.......

* * *

Meanwhile as the elevator began to slowly plunge downward, Penelope hugged Mystic tightly, trying to rid her scalp of some of the residue. But thanks to Calliope, who was waiting at the spot per her request. It was taking a while for the elevator to make its way down, so Penelope looked at Mystic curiously, thinking about one of the last things Horace had told her. 

_“Take good care of Mystic, my rose. She reminds me of you when we first met.”_

Her eyes welled up a bit as she remembered him. But she also decided to inspect Mystic. Physically, Penelope remembered herself being taller and having a little lighter, shorter blonde hair at the time and she was a bit thinner than Mystic. But personality-wise, Horace had been right. At that stage of her life, Penelope was hopeful, adventurous, comparatively innocent to the present day her, creative, a bit shy, a little self-deprecating at times, a bit of a romantic, idealistic, intelligent, but the biggest similarity? She and Mystic both strived to be individuals. The only difference was that Mystic seemed to have almost no problem with showing most of her true colors. Penelope, at that age, had been quite terrified because she thought it would get in the way of her proving to others that she wasn't just some snobby rich girl who expected everything to be handed to her on a silver platter.

But luckily, around that time, the elevator dinged, opening to the 50th floor. 

"Alright, Mystic," she sighed gently.  
"Come with me, dearie. We're going to wash out your hair."

"That sounds nice," she sighed dreamily, making Penelope giggle with endearment. 

She reminded Penelope of that one Irish witch in that series of wizard and witch kids.......what was it.....Pigfarts....?

No, of course not. What sort of dignified author would name a school Pigfarts?

"Unless she decided to suddenly drop it on her followers after it was done, but que será, será."

She led Mystic into the hotel spa and salon where she found Calliope, as well as Alison, Jael, and Ro.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Penelope wondered.

"Why did you take so long?" Alison retorted.

"My apologies, but it seems that our resident demon has gone insane."

This caused the three others to blanche.

"What?" Jael exclaimed somberly.

"Candy Pop's been offered a deal; bring Mystic to them in this state and he gets to see Envy again."

"Is Envy still stuck in the 1920s?"

Penelope nodded.

"Well then, we should be fine," she sighed in relief.  
"I had Katsumi help place a spell on the gravestone that he's going to die on."

"Die on?" Penelope nearly screamed.

"He's going to be fine though," Calliope assured her.  
"If his chlorophyll lands even near it, he'll be transported here, good as new. And now that we have that out of the way...."

She pulled out two bottles each of shampoo and conditioner.

"This should help remove it. The Cursed God was right. I created that pixie dust in the hopes of using it against our enemies, but it seems the tables have turned on us."

"No," Alison claimed.  
"We still have information on Lydia Waverly."

"But didn't we always?" Calliope wondered.

"We're going to let the others find that out for themselves. Luckily, I happen to know that this serum also allows them to recall certain events in history. We need only ask, whether they're affected or if the effects are reversed. But I believe we should begin."

Alison gently grabbed ahold of Mystic while Calliope took ahold of Ro. They led them to the hairwash stations of the spa and salon.

* * *

Penelope sat there anxiously for a good fifteen minutes.

"Are you sure they know what they're doing?" Penelope inquired to Jael.

She nodded.

"You and I both know that Calliope is one of the most trustworthy members of the Society."

"But then how did the Cursed God find out about Mystic all those years ago?"

Jael shook her head.

"That's one thing even she won't tell me," she sighed.  
"I believe that there was something she did that she regrets."

"You mean.....just like I did."

Penelope bowed her head in shame as she remembered that fateful morning before the world became a blur to her. She felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder.

"What happened was likely something you had no control over either."

"I should've---"

"No," Jael blurted out firmly.  
"Remember; we don't look at what we should have done once we did it. We look at what we can do next time. Dwelling on the past serves no purpose."

Penelope nodded weakly. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps and she perked up. Coming from around the corner were Calliope, Alison, Mystic, and Ro, the latter two looking a bit dazed.

"What the hell happened?" Mystic groaned.  
"I feel like I've been sleeping for years. I'm starving!"

"I feel a little groggy," Ro yawned cutely.

"Did it work?" Penelope asked hopefully.

"Both were cleansed for the most part," Alison affirmed.  
"Now it's a matter of them having a second treatment tomorrow as a precaution, and their bodies filtering out the rest."

Penelope practically burst into tears in relief. 

"Hey," Ro piped up.  
"Would any of you happen to know about Lucy and Nicholas BEFORE?"

Mystic looked at Ro confused.

"What do you mean before?"

"I dunno. I just....I had this dream or vision or something.....where I saw Lucy and Nicholas as an ordinary father-daughter duo, and then they just seemed evil."

"Blood Corruption," Jael sighed.

"Blood Corruption?" Mystic asked.

"The Cursed God is a long-distant relative of the Carnival Master. Their family has had a gene that makes them more susceptible to corruption. He must've figured out how to take control of Nicholas through his blood."

"Wait, wait, wait. Like, through his actual blood cells?"

Jael nodded.

"And then he must've used Nicholas to corrupt Lucy."

"I was having visions or something as well," Mystic explained.  
"I saw this girl......she was making a deal with these women in a forest and then I saw a vision of her committing suicide."

"We'll talk of that another time," Jael assured them.  
"For now I think we should all get some rest."

* * *

 

As Jael guided Ro and I to the elevator, I couldn't help but notice Penelope staring at me with a particular fondness. Not in a crush way, more in a maternal way. But when I got to the elevator, I had a sickening feeling in my stomach, and stumbled.

"Mystic," Penelope gasped.  
"What's wrong?"

"It must be a side effect of the recovery," Calliope assured her.

"I feel like we should stay down here," I trembled as we rode up.  
"My instincts are telling me that danger is happening." 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Ro assured me.  
"But just in case, if you want Saf and I can sleep next to you tonight if it'll make you feel better."

It felt like a long ascent to the top, but once we got to the 100th floor and the doors opened, an eerie anxiety overtook me. The halls were particularly quiet. 

"Something's definitely wrong," I gasped as I pointed at a red trail; bloody footsteps that led down the stairs from around the corner near my suite. Opening my door, I was nearly attacked by Matt.

"Where were you?" he asked panicked.

"Why?"

"Safiya's missing, and so is Nora."

Ro and I looked at each other, remembering the bloodprints. I rushed out into the hall to find a disturbing site.

On the wall written in red was this;

_Two slain one for each of the goals.  
_ _Each day you fail I take one pair of souls._

I was afraid to look, but I forced myself to. 

Blood was splattered everywhere and the bodies were positioned so terribly. But there was no doubt on the identities. Arya and Celeste had been the next two to be slain.


	7. No Other Terms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (CW: Graphic descriptions of gore, innards, etc,.)

There they were; their corpses were mangled up in the hallway by my room. But it was all neatly arranged. Flowers drawn on their skin. Their fingers peeled open at the top and placed in a small vase to look like flowers, sitting in a bloody-red vase. The innards, stuffed to look like sausages, were neatly spiraled around and on two plates as Arya and Celeste's horrified heads, decapitated, sat atop each one. And in the center of it all was a ticking clock. 

Tick....Tick......Tick......Tick.....

It was.....as if.....he was.......trying to........

I plugged my ears and tried to turn away from this hypnotic trap when I heard maniacal laughter in the distance and then....

"Where are you, my little Mystic mousie? Time to run up the clock again!"

Candy Pop had officially lost touch with reality. I grabbed Matt and Ro's hands and all of us ran into my bedroom. 

"Oh my God," I panted, feeling a cold flush rush through me.

And then I realized the other thing;

"Wait. What about Safiya and Nora?"

"They're missing," he repeated.

"Oh, this is just great," I sighed in desperation.

Next thing I knew I heard the ticking again, right outside my door. 

"Come out, little mousie," Candy Pop tittered maddened with who-knows-what.  
"Don't make me come in there!"

I heard something scratch against the wood. 

"He's trapped us inside," Calliope panted.

Quickly I pulled out a teastone.

"I wish that Safiya and Nora were with us."

The stone glowed and they appeared.

"Thank God!" Nora gasped.  
"We were just about to be infected!"

"Yeah, well we've got pretty big problems ourselves," I whimpered as Safiya grabbed ahold of me.  
"Arya and Celeste are dead. Homicide."

I quickly pulled out another teastone.

"I wish that Candy Pop would walk back to his room and stay in there for the rest of the night."

All of a sudden, we heard the ticking recede and the tittering fade as his feet clomped back. Once he was gone, we breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

I pulled out another teastone.

"I wish that this hotel was off of the Cursed God's radar until I say it's back on."

Another golden glow and I realized that my bag was mostly full of dust.

"We're gonna have to plant this soon," I realized.

All of a sudden, I heard a knock on the door.

"Guys? Open up!" a panicked voice blathered from outside.

Ciel's voice, but Alice's soul. I rushed over and opened it up. She fell inside, her face paper pale.

"There's something outside---" she began.

"We know," Matt told her.  
"We saw it ourselves."

"Candy Pop's gone completely off-the-rails. It was probably because of the answer I gave him."

"Just tell him the truth," Penelope groaned.

"The truth is that it's none of his damn business. And it's not yours either!"

"Well, he's clearly not going to accept that for an answer, and if you don't give the real answer to him, I will douse you in the truth serum, get you drunk, AND hypnotize you."

"THAT IS THE REAL ANSWER, YOU BITCH!" I screamed angrily.  
"YOU KNOW, I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU THREATENING TO ENTRANCE ME. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, I'M NOT SOME SORT OF DOLL THAT YOU CAN PRACTICE YOUR FUCKING MAGIC ON!"

Without another word, I stormed off and slammed the bedroom door, locking it behind me. 

* * *

The next day, Mystic wouldn't come out, not to eat, drink, nothing. They tried to burst it open, but Mystic had barricaded the door. She'd also wished for Candy Pop to be prohibited from leaving his room until she said he could leave. 

After half a week went by, at least half of the guests attempted to break inside. And, holy shit. Nikita was infuriated this time. 

"I swear, if she doesn't open this fucking door, I'm gonna HURT SOMEONE!" she shrieked. 

There was no response. Once again, Nikita tried to kick it down. 

"Bitch, cut it out already!" Manny groaned.  
"You've been at that for 3 hours."

"I don't care. I'm gonna fucking get in there even if I have to break a nail!"

Manny's eyes widened. Nikita would never break a nail for anything, so for her to say she would is huge.

"Mystic, stop being immature and open the door," she growled. 

There was no response. All of a sudden, Ro got an idea, but it was one she felt unsure of.

"I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, and maybe dangerous," she gulped.  
"But what if we let Candy Pop out and have HIM try to break in?"

All of a sudden, there was a shriek from the other side of the wall. Footsteps pattered and Mystic opened one of the doors to the chain lock. 

"Nikita, I can see holes from your heels on my side. And I'M the immature one? Who's been throwing a hissy fit at a damn door? And I swear, if you dare even go near Candy Pop---"

"Then let us in," Gabbie interrupted.

"NO!" she snapped making everyone jump and making her feel lightheaded causing her to stumble and undo the chain lock as she fell. Instinctively, Ro dove and caught her just before she hit her head against the floor. Mystic's eyes began to water.

"Was this another suicide attempt?" Colleen asked, concerned as she and Ro helped Mystic to the bed.

She shook her head.

"Penelope threatened to hypnotize me, get me drunk, and dump that pixie dust shit on me to tell Candy Pop the truth to that stupid question."

"You mean 'what are you doing trying to get away from everybody who wants to help you?'" Liza clarified.

Nodding, Mystic helped push herself onto the bed. 

"But the truth IS that it's none of his business. God, why does he even wanna know so badly?"

Everyone looked at each other confused.

"Look, if any of you are gutsy enough to go talk to that psycho, ask him why he wants to know so damn badly. If his reasoning is sound, then I'll give him an answer."

"Just give us the answer now," Nikita snapped.

Mystic pursed her lips and folded her arms like a child.

"If you don't tell us, we'll have Ro tickle you," Safiya scolded.

"Do whatever you want to me," she shrugged.  
"But I'm not giving an answer until that bastard says why he wants to know. Those are the only terms I'm accepting. And just for that, if his answer is 'because,' I'm gonna make sure his spirit is permanently trapped inside of a Bible and that is a fucking promise."

Everyone looked at each other until someone spoke up.

"I'll go talk to him," JC shrugged.

"Me too," Roi piped up.

"Yeah, I'll go too," Jesse agreed.

"I'll tag along," Alice volunteered.  
"He'll be more likely to give an answer if I'm there."

"We need to even out the ratio," Liza exclaimed.  
"So Tana and Nikita, y'all tag along to balance out the guys."

"Why are you volunteering me?" Tana spattered.

"I'm not going," Nikita shook her head.  
"If I do, Miss Gloom over here might try to kill herself again."

"Fine," Andrea Brooks sighed.  
"Eva and I will go."

"I didn't volunteer for this."

"Do you want that answer?"

"¡Ay Dios mio!" Lele huffed in frustration.  
"Enough of this bullshit! I'll go with Andrea then. I just wanna get that damn answer out of that chick!"

With that settled, the six of them headed out to find the deranged demon.


	8. Meanwhile 2 The Squeakquel: Electric Boogaloo

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY JUST DISAPPEARED?" 

The Cursed God was infuriated. He'd just been informed that Safiya and Nora, the two who they were holding for ransom, had just disappeared before the clowns' eyes.

"I don't know what happened!" Lascivious Luke stammered.  
"I was about to put the parasites in them, but then there was this golden light and they were gone."

A sudden "hmm" piped up.

"This is a most strange occurrence," a woman with red hair wondered.  
"You don't suppose that the little doll got word of the teastones, perhaps?"

"She did, indeed," Willie sighed.  
"Most of what she has now is a bag of dust though."

The Cursed God gave a single laugh.

"If she'd agreed to be my bride, she'd have vaults full of those teastones!"

"There's still hope yet," the woman replied.  
"Perhaps I could sneak that love potion in for our little songbird, my lord?"

"If I knew where the hotel was, I would say yes," he grumbled.  
"It went off my radar just moments ago."

The woman smirked evilly and pulled out a small bag of her own. 

"I think I can remedy that easily," she chuckled as she pulled out a dark teastone.  
"I wish to undo the wish that is keeping this hotel off of the radar."

Instead of a glow and a dissolve, the stone zapped electricity and exploded right in her hand. She took the ashes and brushed them into her bag as Wilmer rushed in.

"Boss! Boss!" he panted panicked.  
"It's Cal. That plant demon murdered him!"

"Calvin?" the woman shrugged as she pulled out another.  
"I wish he was here with us fully healed."

And out of nowhere, Calvin appeared, healed and renewed. It took him a few moments to process what was going on, but when he knew, he smirked.

"What on earth did I do to deserve a healing from you, Miss Divola?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Quite simple," she shrugged.  
"We're taking a little trip to the hotel."

"Hotel? Why are we going to a hotel?"

"To get your fiance and our queen back."

* * *

Meanwhile, after she had had her second pixie dust treatment, a rigorous one considering that she had waited a while to get it cleaned out, Mystic used another teastone to heal herself up. Sneaking past the others, she took the elevator down to the lobby in hopes of getting the noise out of her mind. She stood outside in the cool air for a while, letting the silence fill her mind and calming her. After about ten minutes, she went back inside to----

_**ZAP!** _

A surge of white light filled her vision for a few moments. Automatically she shut them tight. Once it was gone, she opened them to see a green creature, bleeding out, or it seemed that way. It was a familiar one. She saw him at the first invasion, carrying Alice. She saw him infected with the disease. And now she saw him, pushing himself to his feet. 

This was Envy.


	9. Pain and Fear

Our eyes met, and I went pale. I was completely tongue-tied as I saw this.....creature in front of me. But luckily, it was one for a brief second.

“YOU-!!” I screamed as I pulled a stone out of my bag.|  
"I wish this dude was pinned against the wall!"

Gold dust went off in his face. When they faded, I could see his confusion.

“What-?“ he began, but I didn't want to hear it.

“What is it with anyone and everyone trying to attack me and/or invade my space!?" I snapped, so done with this shit.  
"Do you guys just  **not**  understand that I want to be left alone?!”

Either he was a really good actor or he truly didn't know because he looked confused as hell.

“What are you talking about!?” he spattered.

“What do you mean ‘what am I talking about’!?” I glared at him.   
“You’re working with  _him_  now! I heard it from  **them** -!!”

“No-!“ he panted.

“‘No’?" I scoffed in disbelief.  
"Then why is it pretty much official that you and Calvin are a thing?”

Again, either a really good actor or truly confused as hell.

“What?"

“Whenever anybody asks about you, the answer is always ‘oh he’s off getting intimate with Calvin,' or 'oh he’s off setting up the impending wedding-'"

“Wh-no.  **No-!!** ”

“Oh yeah," I chuckled in angered disbelief as I raised an eyebrow.  
"And that’s not even the best part! Does ‘Envy x Calvin’ ring any bells? ‘Cause that’s the new ship that’s been circulating around here, apparently." 

He basically turned into a sprinkler, in that all he could do was sputter.

“That…that is…!!” 

I rolled my eyes. I knew he was just acting.

“Can’t deny it, can you?” I scoffed.   
“Hah, and to think poor Alice actually  _believed_  in you!!" 

“Alice?” he gasped as he strained against his invisible binds.  
“Where is she!? Do you know!!??”

“Kinda…something…weird went down, and we got stuck with an imposter for a while”.

“An imposter…”

“Some Creepy nut job who happened to be a Demon from someplace, or so he said, anyway”.

“…Where…where did you see her last?”

I chuckled. Like I was gonna tell this dude that.

“THAT is an absurdly long story," I told him as I reached into the bag.  
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to wish you right back to your new boyfriend-“

“NO!!”

I'd be lying if I said that he didn't startle me. Hell, I felt myself jump a few feet in the air.  

“No don’t-“

I huffed, folding my arms. 

“…Why not…?” 

“We aren’t-we never were-and never will be-a Thing! That was all him…”

 _Sure, it was ALL him._  

“-And how do I know that I can believe you?”

“…All I have to show for it, is my word”. 

Either he was really that desperate or that good of an actor again, but I was losing patience. That "just-take-my-word-for-it" bull wasn't gonna cut it anymore. 

“Your word means shit to me," I spat as my fingers closed around the teastone.  
“I wish-“

“WAIT!!”

“-That-“

“STOP, please-“

“-You would go back to where you-!!”

_“-If you don’t believe me, then use it on my memories!!”_

I yelped, dropping the stone to the ground as his voice echoed in my head.  

“Excuse me, sir, WHAT?"

I saw his jaw tense up as I reached back down for the stone, snatching it up.

“L…look at my memories”.

This plant dude was probably the biggest lunatic I've ever met.

“Uh…WHY!?”

“Because I don’t know how else to tell you that I’m on your side!!” 

I gave this some thought as I rubbed my thumb along the surface of the teastone, hoping the stimming might help me think. Should I really trust this guy? I mean, yeah, a lot of what I know about him is only hearsay, but I wasn't sure if I was willing to take that risk. Then again, I saw his eyes, they were leaking desperation.

No, wait, actually I think it was chlorophyll. 

I sighed.

“How would that help?”

He sighed in response. 

“You would see…everything…from how I got here to where I am right now...If this isn’t good enough…"

I could see that there was a tipping point and this dude was [close](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768489/chapters/43616897#) to cracking.  

“I don’t know what else-I don’t know what else to do. I’m sorry…"

He trailed off and looked at me, pleading. With another huff, I pursed my lips.

"If you're seriously that desperate," I sighed.  
"I'll give you one [chance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768489/chapters/43616897#) to convince me. Hit me."

All of a sudden, I was punched in the brain with a wave of memories from his point-of-view. Vampire plants, a doctor dead in the 1920s moments after Calvin had met him. The scariest was this memory of a doll room where Calvin was grinning devilishly. I could feel myself verging on a scream.

"Stop it," I winced in [pain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768489/chapters/43616897#) as I dropped to my knees

But he didn't stop. He kept replaying it in my mind, this dude was either super desperate or super sadistic.

"STOP IT!" I shrieked so loud the whole [hotel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768489/chapters/43616897#) shook slightly, tears streaming down my face.  
"STOP IT RIGHT NOW OR I'M SENDING YOU BACK!"

Finally he released me from this agony. I gasped for breath. 

I......I had no clue what to say. What I just saw, the pain I just felt, the fear I just experienced. Was all of that......really what happened?

"What.....the hell.....was that?" I demanded with a quiet tremble.

"That's........what I went through."

I took a moment to recollect myself before I stood up.

"How can I be sure these are real?" I asked.

"Would I really put myself through this much pain?"

"Well, you just did it to me."

"Touche, but no. I can assure you. These ARE real."

I sighed, trying to think of a way I could get some info AND be sure he was our ally.

"I'm still unsure, but I've got another way to prove that you're on our side."

"Yes, what is it, my love----I mean, Mystic?"

I blushed slightly in shock and I could tell he was shocked as well.

"Um, can we just pretend I didn't say those two words?"

"Fine by me, definitely fine by me," I nodded quickly.  
"To prove that you're on our side, tell me the name of the traitor that the Cursed God sent out."

I saw his face go white.

"The...the what?"

"Don't play dumb," I scoffed.  
"I know you know who it is."

"How?"

"Intuition."

He sighed reluctantly.

"Fine. I did overhear their name, but I feel so bad because they seem so nice---"

"Doesn't matter. If the Cursed God sent them, they're bad news. Now who is the traitor?"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

"Okay, the traitor amongst you is----"

"Going to remain anonymous," a voice chuckled.

Whirling around I saw a psychotic looking, yet well-dressed and kinda handsome young man, and a Penelope Dowry lookalike with red hair, smiling devilishly.


	10. Taking a Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IT'S SNOWING HERE. >:(
> 
> Also on the brighter side, Alice posted the shit about Envy and I getting transported to the realm of the Cursed God while I was kinda pre-occupied. But I read it and I definitely think it'll help us get a little back on track if we have a few of those moments.
> 
> (CW: Creepy touching)

"Hello, my love," Calvin purred as he strode up to us both and caressed our cheeks. I slapped him away, but that plant guy.......thanks to what I did, he had no chance to.

 

"As I was saying," the red-haired Penelope continued with just as much articulation, but much more malice, in her voice.  
"That 'traitor' shall remain anonymous. At least until after the wedding."

She then strode up to me and grabbed my head to face her. She took a long time, and I wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. I guess inspecting me?

"Hmm, yes, now I remember. I can see why he's so obsessed with you."

"What are you doing with her?" Envy demanded.

"It's been about 40 years since I last saw her face," she told him matter-of-factly.  
"And now the first time I'm seeing her face-to-face. I'd nearly forgotten why my lord wants her so badly."

"Wait," I coughed as I pushed her away and brushed my face.  
"Who the hell are you? And what do you mean 40 years? I'm only 20."

She stared at me looking rather offended.

"You didn't infer from the diary entry?"

It took me a moment to remember.

"You're the 'she' Calliope was talking about!"

She chortled.

"Well, aren't you just a smart little girl," she cooed condescendingly.  
"You should show that intelligence off to your new husband."

"I don't think so," I growled as I back away.

I tried to intimidate her; keyword: tried. She practically roared with laughter.

"What are you going to do? You're practically helpless on your own."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dark pocket watch. Smoke was emitting from it and my heart began to palpitate. Quietly, I pulled out a teastone from behind my back.

"I wish that Envy was set free."

Gold glowed behind me and the plant person stumbled as he was released. The red-haired woman swung the pocket watch towards me, sending the smoke in my direction. I grabbed what I guess was a stub where Envy's hand should be and rushed him to the elevator. The two of them were on our heels, but the doors shut before they could get at us. 

"Hold on tight," I warned him.

I rammed a button for emergency floor recall and pressed the top button before grabbing a nearby railing. Immediately the elevator began to skyrocket up to the top floor. I tried to catch my breath, thinking we were safe for now, but just as the doors ripped open, black smoke appeared behind us and grabbed me by my waist.

"HELP!" I shrieked bloody murder as Envy dashed out of the elevator. I kicked against the woman holding me as Nikita and several others rushed from the room. 

The others tried to grab me and pull me back, but the woman began to pull out a stone when Ro reached under my skirt and gave me one of my own.

"I wish I was back inside my room at this hotel!" I practically screamed. 

The elevator disappeared in a golden haze as I found myself back in my room, but unfortunately, I was no alone. I heard the doors shut and lock behind me.

"Why hello again," Calvin's voice purred in my ear like an ASMRtist, sending shivers down my spine, as he pinned my hands behind my back.  
"Aren't you a sweet, little thing."

All of a sudden, he whirled me around to face him, smiling  ~~lovingly~~  psychotically.

"If my master weren't so set on making you his queen, you'd be such a lovely edition to my collection. You'd need some fixing up with those legs, upper arms, and overall body fat, but you'd be the pinnacle of my collection even without most of those being fixed. Because you'd radiate such sweet innocence and femininity with the features you do have."

He held up my arm and ran a finger up it, causing me to tremble.

_I don't like this. Nope. Not at all._

"Such soft skin."

Then he slowly pet my respective hand.

"Those fingers. Such a work of art."

_One that you should NOT be touching._

As he spoke, he took two of his own fingers, placed them in between mine, and slowly moved them upward. I tried to suppress my tears. Then he forced my face upward and our eyes met. 

"Those beautiful blue-grey eyes, like a doe's, an innocent young fawn's."

_I'm gonna need you to stop._

Next he took ahold of my hair.

"And your lovely locks. They shine under the light."

_Trying to cover all the bases, are we?_

After that he took a finger and slowly traced around my lips.

"And those perfect cupid's bow lips."

_Get the hell away from my lips._

And then he did something even stranger; he took a finger and caressed down the middle of my neck. 

"And I've heard you sing before. Perhaps if I can keep you sentient, yet still like a doll, you would grace the doll room with your angelic voice."

_DUDE, HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF CONSENT BEFORE?????_

I tried to take a step back, but he had me tightly.

"I wouldn't try to run away. Lilith's dealing with those outside. Once they're all subdued, we'll take you all to the palace and have the ceremony. At least once I finish setting up the topiaries and flowers."

I tried to speak, but he placed a finger on my lips. 

"Save that pretty little voice of yours, sweet songbird," he whispered.  
"My master would rather be the first to hear you sing face to face."

_I was actually gonna use it to scream "FUCKING HELP ME. THIS DUDE IS A PSYCHO!"_

Not moments later, the Penelope-look-a-like that I assumed to be Lilith (I'd have to ask about that eventually) came in dragging Envy. 

"Well, well, well," she cooed as she stepped forward towards us, me in particular, stretching out her hand to pet my head.  
“It seems we caught you both at a rather opportune moment. Mystic…you shouldn’t have left the safety of your friends. We all know you're just an innocent little child."

I gritted my teeth.

“Back off!"

I shuffled through the bag and pulled out a stone. 

“I wish that you two would-“ I began quickly.

“I wish that your bag of teastones," she interrupted calmly.  
"Would be erased from this plane of existence."

A sudden crackling of electricity, causing me to gasp as the bag disappeared.

Countless numbers of the teastones plummeted to the floor, and shattered upon impact. The golden glow then ran inside of me and I fell backwards. I was shocked, rattled to my core.

“You-!! How did you-!?”

“Oh, my dear…” the woman chuckled softly as she leaned down to pet me again.  
“Have you never heard of Dark Teastones?”

“What?” I exclaimed confused.

“…Never you mind."

She plucked another one out of thin air and I began to panic. I tried to run, screaming out bloody murder for help, so loudly that it shook the hotel slightly.

"RO! MATT! SAFIYA! PENELOPE! HEL---!"

The woman whipped her arm around, holding me close to her as she covered my mouth. I tried to bite down, but the gloves were too sturdy.

"Aww," she cooed condescendingly.  
"My lord was right. You ARE adorable. You really think they'll be able to take you back? Not this time, my pet. Not this time."

If looks could kill, that bitch would be dead.

“Anyhow, once you are back with your future husband and he-"

A nod at Envy-

"Is reunited with  _his_ , then all of your confusion shall be addressed”.

“Future husband-“ I wondered, my voice muffled through her gloves.

It took me a few minutes, but soon the dots began to line up.  

“No!“ we both shouted as the woman used her other hand to hold up the dark stone.

“Yes," she chuckled just as the bedroom door reopened.  
"I wish Mystic and Envy would be transported back with Calvin and I to the lair of the Cursed God."

"Mystic!" Ro, Matt, and Safiya's voices yelled as the hotel began to fade away.


End file.
